Entrust Datacard, a leading provider of trusted identity and secure transaction technology solutions, has announced its technology will be used by the government of Ghana — through a partnership with Identity Management Systems (IMS), a subsidiary of Margins Group — to instantly issue national identity cards to Ghanaian citizens.

In line with the directive from the Government of Ghana to roll out the National Identification System (NIS), the National Identification Authority (NIA) will be responsible for ID card registration and instant issuance across Ghana. The new “GhanaCard” meets all international requirements for identity documents, such as chip embedded technology and biometric capabilities. This is the first nationwide instant issuance of eIDs in West Africa and the system will be deployed to 16 million citizens beginning in January 2018.

“Identity Management Systems designed a custom solution that fits Ghana’s economic and social needs, utilizing Entrust Datacard™ printers” said Xavier Coemelck, regional vice president for Entrust Datacard EMEA. “Entrust Datacard technologies will enable the government of Ghana to improve service to its citizens and help ensure secure access to rights and services. This project demonstrates our ability to customize our solutions to fit all customer requirements.”

Using Entrust Datacard instant issuance technology, Identity Management Systems will support the National Identification Authority to facilitate mass registration of citizens throughout the country, promoting shorter travel and wait times for the new ID cards. Because the national ID cards are instantly issued, the government of Ghana will no longer have to manage the high quantity of personalized cards that are never picked up by citizens. The solution increases personalization and convenience in a government-to-citizen interaction.

“We are proud to introduce the first instant identity issuance in the region which improves the NIS experience for citizens and ensures social inclusion,” said Professor Ken Attafuah, Executive Secretary of NIA. “We are also grateful to our subcontractors who have helped us launch and facilitate the National Identification System.”

Identity Management Systems Ltd is the prime contractor for Ghana National ID project. With Entrust Datacard, the other subcontractors for the project include Intelligent Card Production Systems (ICPS), X-Infotech, Dermalog, Cryptovision, Smart Packaging Solutions (SPS), NXP Semiconductors and IDFG.